Thursday, December 29, 2016

2016 recap and giveaway!!!

Happy holidays and much love, peace, connection, joy AND a plethora of all good things your way, as we head rapidly towards a brand new year!!

I know some of you may have begun to think that I had fallen off the edge of the blogosphere and others have been following along with my topsy turvy 2016 journey on Instagram and Facebook, sending so much love and support my way, that I have spent the better part of my year utterly astonished and grateful for this tribe that I belong to so intrinsically.

I'm going to keep this recap post MUCH shorter than previous years. Not because it has been any less incredible but because I am partially on a PAUSE and that means tending to my own self care and stepping back a little from the crazy pace I have set for myself these past few years.

As usual though, my favorite part of writing this end of year post is that I get to host a GIANT GIVEAWAY in gratitude for all of YOU!!

And all you have to do is leave me a comment below letting me know something that you have been grateful for in 2016.

This year I am giving away 12 gifts valued at $1600!!

(please share on social media and then tell me how many times you did for extra chances to win)

* 6 spots in the upcoming January session of my wildly popular Paint Mojo ecourse. Over 1400 students have now taken part in this class and I have received amazing testimonials from many on how it has changed their creative worlds!

*TWO original paintings from my wise and wonky owl series. these little owls have literally been selling within minutes, sometimes seconds of posting on FB and instagram and I would love you to be the lucky winner of one!

These ones have already flown off to their new homes but the winners will get to choose their own colours!

Paint Mojo the ecourse starts on Jan 20th and runs for six weeks. I would love you to join me even if you don't win a spot!

A special early bird registration of $197 will be available on Jan 1st. You can sign up to be kept in the loop on this class and all of my other artsy news right here.

So let me share just a little of my 2016......

It started off so beautifully.

We had just arrived home from an epic 9 months teaching tour around the globe and I was greeted by our beautiful girls and Santana's sweet man Jacob AND the huge surprise of an incredible makeover they had pulled off on my studio!

We were loving being with our girls and Jacob and the kitties AND a houseful of visiting brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews over Christmas and New Year!

There seemed to be a pattern this year of overwhelming contrast.

Of deep emotions both joyous and heartwrenching.

Like one day I'm cuddling a baby wombat for the first time in my life....

The next I'm helping my baby girl pack up all of her belongings and move three hours away leaving us with an empty nest....

Like one minute I'm backstage in Sydney meeting my dear friend Liz Gilbert of Eat, Pray, Love and Big Magic fame, in person, for the first time, and totally hanging out by the washing machine and all!!

and next minute I'm having a mammogram because I've found a lump, two weeks before I'm heading off for my next three month teaching tour

and then suddenly I'm on the road again, firstly at my favorite art retreat Art Is You in Santa Rosa, Ca

then on to nine other venues across the country including Jenny Doh's amazing Crescendoh studio in Santa Ana. It's fitting that my first two workshops in the U.S this year were held in cities named after saints because I was about to be calling out to every Saint I could think of!

As I made my way across the country, navigating medical phone calls and results from ultrasounds and biopsies, far from home and running the gamut of emotions between uncertainty, dread, hope and optimism, my dear hosts, all of them close friends, held the space for me, loving me and giving me the behind the scenes care that allowed me to keep on teaching.

I taught in some incredible spaces, like this amazing hangar in Dallas and my students, as usual, filled my heart with such joy that most of the time, I was able to be present in the moment, enjoying the beautiful space we were creating together.

I also got to give Liz another hug and she gifted me something very special.....more on that below.

I met up with mi amor in Taos, for a three day romantic rendez-vous, and we hiked and soaked and ate and wandered and filled our spirits with each other. We bought a giant love heart drum, found several heart rocks while hiking to an abandoned mica mine and I was mesmerised by a beautiful photo by Taos artist Zoe Zimmerman of a bare breasted, blindfolded woman next to a beautiful horse at the Love Apple restaurant.

We decided that somehow, everything would be okay.

In Miami we were blessed to spend time with my beautiful Aunt Robbie and her sweet family. We've only known each other for 4 years since I met my biological father in 2012 but it feels like forever. Robbie and her husband Luis bundled us up, connected me with the most beautiful breast cancer care nurse Tania, who I believe is secretly an angel, and within days I was having a fine needle biopsy at South Miami Baptist Breast Center. (Man this is hard to describe in so few words!)

Tania and I are working on a plan for me to come volunteer a workshop for some of the patients there in 2018.

In Melbourne Florida I returned to teach at the most wholeheARTed venue I know; Art Is More, and this truly amazing group of women waited with me on Day one of the workshop for the results of the biopsy, and then, danced and cried and laughed and painted abundantly with me for the next two days, after the results came back as cancer. Truly, truly, truly, being with this group at this time gave me such strength and hope and love and I am sooooooo grateful to these women.

The magical demo painting that came out of our time together remained there in Melbourne with my dear friend Sherri and was appropriately titled "She Tribe"

and on I went, across the country to finish off several more workshops (will share a little more on those over the next few days as I announce daily winners) before returning home to Australia for surgery. Two tumours were removed successfully, I started on hormone blocking medication to prevet recurrence, and my oncologists decided that it was okay to postpone radiation until after we returned home from my Bali commitments in September

and then I made some BIG decisions about 2017

so in August I posted this to FB

Isn't the Universe just so freakin miraculous!!!??

So on we went to the paradise that is Bali and the contrasts continued... a week of bliss with group number one...I mean teaching art in the pool!!! It doesn't get much better than that!

watching the sun rise with mi amor, grateful for each new day....

dinners on the beach with amazing women ( and one equally amazing man).....aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!

So many amazing memories!

And yes. the contrast. Right in the middle, between two week long retreats, I had factored in a week off, you know, the self care thing I was talking about?

Instead, both mi amor and I became horribly ill, were diagnosed with Dengue fever and end up in hospital for the ENTIRE week between classes!

Special, special thanks to my wonderful friends/students Laura and Kelley who were staying on for a few days after retreat number one and stepped up to get all the goody bags ready for the incoming students while I was in hospital! A MASSIVE thank you also to the sweet students from retreat number two for allowing me naps and swim breaks when I needed them.

You all rock so much!!

and then it was home

to begin 30 sessions of radiation over six weeks

I kept my eyes open for simple beauty and everyday miracles and I found them in the conversations I had with the women in this waiting room....

In the walks that mi amor and I took on the beach before treatment and the sand art created by little roaming clams....

In the sky where I looked to the heavens each day to give thanks as I left the Cancer care center.

and in the eyes of our two beautiful girls who trusted in all the best possible outcomes and gift me every day with their love.

and then, it was done.

and here I am, in this home we have created together over the past twenty years.

Each day I begin with gratitude in my heart, for every part of this year, in all of its messiness and unplanned detours, in all of its poignancy and imperfection.

In all of its loving deep contrast

I wish you all so much happiness in this coming year. It seems 2016 has been tough for many, transforming in many ways, challenging us to step into a higher version of ourselves.

I found these beautiful words from Gandhi so moving and perfect for this time and so I offer them to you all

with love

Tracy xoxoxoxoxxo

ps don't forget to leave me a comment below. I'll be drawing winners daily for the next three days!

397 comments:

You are amazing, strong and resilient. I admire you in so very many ways. I'm grateful that you are on the mend and that you are taking time for yourself. Thank you for all that you do and all that you are!

I am thank ful for YOU !! And art.. and paint.. yellow paint!! And COLORFUL sunsets... that inspire gorgeous pallets!! Whew! What a year!!! You made it and we are all blessed by your path!! Xoxoxo -kiki

I am grateful for so many things this year, not least the fact that I am still here, still alive and lucky enough to be lying in a warm room on a comfortable bed in a peaceful home. However, I'm grateful most of all for the fact that my family and loved ones made it through this year safe and healthy ❤

Wowsers, what an incredible year Tracy. Your courage to pursue your mission inspire me. Your courage to face, deal with and move through life challenging health events, that's another type of courage, I admire that in you too. And the courage to put yourself first, and make the changes to support your body. Now that's something else! Love you loads, thanks for sharing your story. Xxx

I am gratefull for bringing you into the world,I am grateful for the joy you share with everyone you come in contact with,I am grateful for the love and forgiveness you have given me you are a true Angel xo ❤️

I am grateful for my inner voice. I have given it space to speak to me and finally in the last month of this year, I have allowed myself to hear it. I am grateful that I am finally trusting myself to listen.

What a wonderful post. We are all blessed to be filled with your beautiful prose, insights and art. Your colors so inspire me! I'm still waiting to own one of your fabulous little owls , as they really touch my soul. May your time of PAUSE nourish your soul!Happy 2017!

I have been so blessed to get to know you. I love your art and your spirit. I am also so humbled that you allowed me to message you, explain some things about breast cancer based on my experience 5 years ago and that you responded with kindness and deep friendship. Blessings to you in 2017 you are a blessing to the world.

I agree that for many 2016 was a challenging year, maybe even a very sad year.I'm humbled by the challenges friends, family and I have experienced, and enthusiastically welcome 2017.Thank you Tracy for brightening your ur world!VIckie HornerArcatans@aol.com

I'm so so thankful that everything turned out so well Tracy! This year I'm grateful for choice. The choice I've made to love myself again after so many years of hating myself, to be able to express myself thru art, and the community of amazing people I've come to meet (including you) because of art. There is something so magical and freeing to be able to choose which direction to take ones life. Happy New Year! Much love to you and yours! Amy Beeman

What a year you've had! Best part is you are still here, still positive and still sharing your joy & kindness.What am I (still) grateful for? My health, my family and my friends - truly can't and do not ask for any thing more.

1) That I'm out of a job that I hated. The downside to that, is I still don't have a job, but at least I'm not spending my days spent in a place that was killing me. lol, being grateful can be messy.

2)Each day that my father is still here. He has end stage COPD. We all know the end is very close. So each day I speak to him or get a text from him or see him, is a good day in my book! being grateful can be hard too.

I love reading the posts above. I have been struggling with myself regarding the new year and I know I need to improve myself. It is a struggle and reading all of the comments I truely feel and know that creating my art is the best way for me to express myself and actually it helps my inner peace tremendously. Take time for yourself. Life goes by so fast. Michele Smith

Beautiful post!!!This year I am thankful for:teachers that are open and honest regarding their own struggles;and for my partner who has looked after me this year whilst I become well.The reminder to stop and smell the roses and appreciate all that we have.Blessings to you Tracy <3

Wow, dear one! What a year! I am so grateful to have had moments of deep connection to you during the challenges of 2016. I am truly honored to have been in step with you on the journey. The thing I am most grateful for this year and everyday really, is the rich love I have in my life. I am blessed with amazing friends, family, a husband and even furry babies that bring me so much love! They give my life purpose. Thank you so much for the generous giveaway, sweetie! So many goodies!!! I love you and your beautiful heart, Tracy!On wards and up wards to 2017! ❤❤❤

I love your posts, you are so positive, and you lift me up or say things I need to hear it seems when I need to hear them. And your art is so amazing! Thank you for letting me have a glimpse into your world!

Dear Tracy, we chatted many times in 2014/15 we even discussed you coming here to do a workshop. You said we would need table clothes .....I thought it was for tea! It was for covering the floor🤣🤣🤣 I know one day we will meet in a workshop, but until then keep on being you! I loved your gentle spirit when I took the paint mojo course. You are very supportive and honest. You amazed me by your relizance to overcome the nightmare many of us have had to experience. Not the " Lotto " we ever want to win again! And so we live with daily little snippets from your life as it unfolds, it's honestly a joy to be involved in spirit. For instance if we are dealing with -35 degree weather we can visit the beach with you. Or listen to the lorikeets in your back yard! How precious is that! I'm so grateful to have been introduced to your work in 2014, with love and gratitude for all the joy you spread.......❤️May!

Hi Tracy! I am grateful to be able to trust and be resilient. Truly grateful for that because there are times we are tested and life isn't always easy. 🦋 Sharing this on Instagram too. I hope I win! Weeeee

I am grateful to know artists like you, who share what they have learned and experienced; techniques they have tried; colors and media they have used. You are a workhorse but a real person that has shared so much. I hope you know how much you mean to your clan ��.

I am so grateful that I have found YOU. You inspire me so to look beyond my art to feel your spirit. It's been an emotional year and very challenging learning to walk away from the drama and people who create it. Learning to Love the people that treat you right. Yes bring on 2017 I am ready to jump into it with gusto. Linda

I shared this link on Facebook (saw it on Effy's page!), tweeted it, and +1 on Google Plus.

I am grateful for Lifebook 2016 for you and the other extraordinary teachers who have brought me to the best art year I've ever had. I have come into my own and am ready to soar in 2017, thanks to your gifts.

Thank you for this lovely giveaway Tracy. I would love to won a spot. I have shared this blog post on Facebook, Instagram and also on Pinterest.

You inspire me with how you love your life so fully, even when having to deal with cancer. When I read on FB about your diagnosis it was pretty much identical to my breast cancer diagnosis a year ago. May you have perfect health and a full recovery. Blessings!!

What an incredibly blessed 2016! I am so grateful to have met so many wonderfully diverse people as I share my art journey. I'm honored to to have my close friends + family who are supporting + encouraging me along the way. Tracy, I thank God for covering you with an abundance of people who have taken care of you through your most difficult times. Thank you for sharing these beautiful experiences with us! I love how you set an example of putting your faith into action, living a life you love, while most importantly, spreading your light! Peace + love to ya, my friend!

Blessings to you, and congratulations on your beautiful year - the ups, downs, and in betweens. Through it all, you handled everything with grace. I am wishing you so much more fortunate things in the coming year, and am so thankful for being able to bear witness to all you have done and been. Much love.

This post is so beautiful. I discovered your art and your blog some time ago and just recently started following you on Instagram. I have so enjoyed reading about your art, your home, and your journey. You inspire me. I've been working on my annual review, and I have found 2016 to be quite similar, a contrast of incredibly joyful memories and really painful ones. One thing I find myself truly grateful for is my little dog, Charlotte. I adopted her this year in September, and she's been a lifeline of love. I had no idea how much she would make my life better, but she truly has. I don't have kids of my own, and I don't think I will at this point in my life. She's the closest thing I have to that, and she filled a hole I hadn't realized was there. 💜💜

You are so inspirational ❤💕❤💕I have admired your art for a long time and had the amazing opportunity to attend your workshop in Newcastle, something that took a lot of strength and courage. Attending the workshop gave me the opportunity to find a part of me in which I thought had gone. It made me smile 😊 The loss of my brother 17 years ago has put my family and I in a place that I never thought we'd be, a place that is often very difficult to escape. Therefore, I'm thankful for my mum, my husband and my 3 beautiful children and our fur babies who have given me the strength to tackle life without him. I'm also thankful for having the opportunity to be inspired by others, like yourself, who throughout those difficult times are able to smile, love and inspire ❤❤❤❤Thank you from the bottom of my heart 💕

I read every single word and am amazed at the year you have had! I have survived breast cancer not once but twice. I know those feelings so well. Congrats on finishing the radiation! You are stronger than you could ever imagine and you give hope to those who are now experiencing this! Wishing you a year filled with love and wellness!

Tracy, you have had a wild ride this year! I am wishing you joy for 2017!

I am grateful for the opportunities I have had so far which have supported me and my family. I am grateful for my family and friends, who stand with me no matter the direction we find ourselves moving. I am grateful for being me, and living this life, here, now.

Oh those clouds...so beautiful. On reflection of my 2016 I am truly grateful for finding hope. I was stuck in my life in so many ways feeling depressed with no way out. Some kind of magic happened this year and I found hope again. I'm also really grateful for a wonderful 7 year old girl who has reactivated my passion for all things art. Best wishes to you Tracey, may 2017 be the year of nurturing and renewal for you.

Thank you for sharing your beautiful art and your life with so many free us. I have admired your art for a couple of years and just started following you on social media recently. I am the one who has the adobe house in Pescadero Mexico. I was so excited to see you sharing your house in Australia. I'm an interior designer and love to see what other people are doing. It's wonderful. We have very similar taste when it comes to this style of home. I'm glad you get to stay home for a while and enjoy it. I am grateful for having the Bible available to give guidance in these troubled times that we live in. It gives hope for a better future than we see now. I have a friend who just underwent the same treatment you did. She is doing very well. Treatments Have come a long ways and I will pray that you do fine. I would love to take one of your classes in the future. In the meantime I will continue to follow your art and your sharing of your home with delight. Your friend online.

I have watched your journey through social media this year, and I have been continually inspired and amazed by the love, resiliency, and positive energy you've shown alon the way. I'm grateful that I've gotten to bear witness to journeys like yours, that I've been able to dig deep into my own being and reconnect with who I am, that I've been able to go farther in my art journey, and that family bonds have gotten stronger and tighter through the year.

What a beautiful and touching look back on the year!! I will be doing the same this weekend, grateful for so many things this year ... our trips to Mexico, time with family, the part time job I got, our boys home for Xmas, waking up each morning!!

wow what a year, and what grace you show in how you have traversed the extremes that have come you way. Sending you love and best wishes for 2017.I am grateful over and over again, and I think even the times in between when I'm not even thinking about him, for my gorgeous partner. He's everything I need when I need it and more, he lifts me up and gives so generously and so often I am constantly amazed by him. I love him with all my heart :)

wow what a year, and what grace you show in how you have traversed the extremes that have come you way. Sending you love and best wishes for 2017.I am grateful over and over again, and I think even the times in between when I'm not even thinking about him, for my gorgeous partner. He's everything I need when I need it and more, he lifts me up and gives so generously and so often I am constantly amazed by him. I love him with all my heart :)

I am grateful for many things and do my best to not take things for granted. One thing I am truly grateful for is just you being who you are. Your generosity and kindness and bringing your whole self to your work and to us. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Hi Tracy, Thank you for being such an example and Inspiration. So hope to be able to follow one of your classes in real life one day! But it can wait. Taking time to nurture yourself is also inspiring!. Love Mariette

Tracy, you continue to amaze me. Your beautiful soul and giving nature are also so evident. My blessing to you is for even more love, joy, great health, prosperity and abundance of all that is good for the New Year. Much love to you, Susan

Tracy, you continue to amaze me. Your beautiful soul and giving nature are also so evident. My blessing to you is for even more love, joy, great health, prosperity and abundance of all that is good for the New Year. Much love to you, Susan

you are such an amazing ....well everything! i have already been blessed in this life to be able to meet you, spend some time with you, hug you (one of the best parts ever). it has been quite a year for you. but in true tracy style you highlight all the things you are grateful for dealing with so many serious health issues and all. i too, had my bout with not knowing whether i had lymphoma or not. i lucked out big time. they never figured out what i DID have but i sure did go thru tons of biopsies, scans, etc. it sure did scare me but like you it also changed me. i am now more thankful for each and every day. i treasure my family, friends, acqaintances, etc even more. i see the world much differently. but still always, i love you just as much as the first day i met you. thank you for sharing so much of you and your family. i travel vicariously thru you. i laugh with you, cry with you, pray for you, thank GOD for you. <3

I am very grateful that my husbands last surgery was clear. he has had many surgeries the last two years for bladder cancer. his next scope is the 19th, praying for no cancer. will share on fb for extra chance. would love to win!! thank you tracy. <3

You have had an amazing journey in 2016 and come shining through. A wonderful example to any of us who may be faced with similar challenges. Thank you so much for keeping the inspiration well topped up with your spirit so that we can all draw on your light. Liz

What a big year! Thank you for sharing your year with us, and I pray blessings on you as you approach 2017. Also, it's wonderful to see all the family connections you've made since your biological dad walked into our art class in 2012! Xoxo

Thank you for sharing your year of ups and downs. I'm sure it has helped a lot of women going through similar circumstances. I admire your gratitude! I thank God every morning and evening for the wonderful things in my life and it has made a huge difference in my own life. Taking a pause sounds smart and necessary, too! Thanks for the giveaways, I would LOVE to win a spot in one of your classes and I hope you have a healthy 2017.

You inspire me. You help me feel the gratitude in a year that has shaken my shaky foundation loose. Thank you, and thank you Universe for showing me this year that it's time to rebuild a stronger foundation. Grateful xoxo

Dear Tracy,Although we never met personally it is like I know you for ages. I really want to thank you for the habit you tought me that everyday evening when I go to bed I look my day and thank you for every little thing that happaned with me and I'm learned to be greatful for little things too.And I'm grateful that I find YOU and be friend with You.love and hug from the other side of the World and take care❤❤❤Ildy

Thank you for sharing so much of your journey with us. It's a joy to see you focus on all the good that surrounds you each and every moment. This year are I am most thankful for the growth I've realized in getting to know myself and the Spirit that lives within me. I have increased my level of Joy!! Kathy Hhennies.pennies@yahoo.com

Lovely read Tracy. Really lovely, you are always so inspiring. Please if I win the painting ecourse prize, please pass it on to someone else. I'd say please give it to my close online friend Suzanne McRae, for I will have too much going on now that I've taken up clay and she gone through so much too. The gifts of doing in-person classes has taught me a lot, most of all that these meetings online mean so much, that art is made with love and miracles. You are a true gift to all of us, thank you. <3

And as for grateful... for the 1st time in 25 years my hubby has a full time job! And both he and I made it through major surgery this year... so grateful for the excellent care we received.. especially my beautiful children who looked after me :)

Reading over your 2016 year in review has shown that even in moments of adversity we can continue to move forward. Thanks for sharing that with us. I am grateful for my son who has been my one true, unwavering supporter.

Your journey is amazing and inspiring to be able to know when to continue and accept the need to pause. I too have found miracles in a treatment center from caregivers with abundance of compassion. Once the line is in, they help me set up a small painting area so I can lose myself in watercolors. I'd love to win a Paint Mojo ecourse to have some guidance and soul sister company! You write with wisdom and a joy in appreciating simple beauty. Thank you for sharing your reflection and inspiring me to think back and look ahead to how the new year can bring a transformation in me. I'm pinning you to my Pinterest Boards too so more people can be thrilled over the moon with your inspiration!

I too am grateful to be on top of Cancer. Mine was colon, once determined it was out and gone. I am also so very grateful my son and daughter inlaw are now just minutes down the road vs half way across the country.

Then there's my family so grateful everyone is healthy and happy. My PERSON came back to me and that helps complete this puzzle of me.

I am grateful for finding your e-courses and your book. 2016 was my commitment to find my creative niche. I look forward to 2017 and all it has to offer. Your photos reflect what an amazing year you had. Best wishes for a great 2017 !

You live a beautiful, authentic life, and I thank you for sharing so much of it with us all. I travel along with you, by osmosis through your luscious photos. May you enjoy vivacious, glowing health in the new year!

GRATEFUL is an understatement for me. Even when incapable to barely walk, I could still paint and it's such a life saver. And your positive vibes and attitude have given me more courage than you'd believe. I ADORE your attitude, your teaching skills, and your beautiful beyond,,,work! xoxxo

Hi Tracy I am grateful for getting to share your year with you. I have seen your inner stregth and beauty get you through such a challenging year and it has helped me through some difficult moments. You remind me that there is always so much to be thankful for ànd to dream big and love lots. Thank you

Wow Tracy....what a year you've had. I'm grateful that I have art in my life, it has saved me. I have leukemia, I have good days and bad, but even on the worst days when I can't create on paper I can see my next project in my mind. I'm grateful for all the artists I've discovered and that they share their talent. Everyone of them has had challenges in their life, big and small. I have learned to be thankful through them, how to paint and be thankful. I wish you joy for the upcoming year.

Wauw, what a year it has been for you! You are so brave the way you write about it and share your journey! I am grateful for the joy I experienced with my little girl learning so many things from 8 to 20 months in 2016. A challenging ride sometimes, but also so special and I'm so grateful! Also for our new home, a fabulous place for our family and a house, where I have a place again for being creative and making art! Which I really enjoyed doing again! All the best to you and everyone for 2017! Let's make it a great year together!! Love, Wendy

But amazing year you've had! It is been quite the year for so many people in so many ways. It's my birthday tomorrow the last day of 2016). and what a great gift it would be to be able to participate in one of your workshops! I hope you have a fantastic 2017! I shared your post on my personal and professional page Facebook page now I'm heading over to Instagram and maybe even Twitter if I can figure it out! LOL happy to share your blog!

Thank you for sharing your beautiful words about resiliency. It truly is a gift to be able to pause with such vibrancy. I am sharing this wonderful post. Great inspiration from the raw reality of life. Thank you.

Beautiful Tracy, I feel so privileged to have been able to witness your journey this year. You are a constant inspiration to me. Wishing you a wonderful 2017 and I look forward to joining you on the journey xx

What a ride you've had this year sweet Tracy...I am so relieved that you got through tha major black threat: "the lump thing" and seem to be safe now. For me, was meeting you in real life, together with alll the other amazing women and Marco at Bali tis years peak experience. I am so grateful that I got the last spot for the work shop and to have you as teacher during a whole week. It was such a amazing experience. I wish you a " whole lotta love" for 2017, healt and lot's of joy! Much love from Kim in Sweden

Totally love your posts with pictures... like I can travel with you... you are a wonderful soul. And I wish you a fab 2017 with all the happiness peace and luck... Stay blessed sweet soul. You are an inspiration....

I personally am grateful that the two dire diagnoses I was given at the beginning of 2016 (thyroid cancer and MS) either turned out to be totally wrong or were foiled with the complete overhaul I did of my diet and lifestyle. I am thankful that I feel,well and have more energy than I did anytime in the last five yrs. I am thankful that I stumbled upon Tracy's art, blog, and healing journey to give me a creative outlet (from her online courses), inspiration, and awe-inspired art appreciation of her work and choice selection of quotes that complement my own healing journey as I follow hers online. Finally, I am grateful that the world is still here despite a contentious and ugly election cycle in the U.S. because I know in my heart the human spirit is a beautiful thing, and the good will ultimately prevail.

Tracy you are an inspiration. Your attitude and love shine through your post. I have been grateful in 2016 for the sharing of creative gifts - inspiring and being inspired by like-minded friends, my first little foray into mixed media art teaching, while connecting across miles with the online blogging and art class community. I wish you lots of love and creativity in 2017. Thanks for the opportunity to share your gifts.

Your words are a welcoming hope as I deal with my husband's battle with cancer. Every remission brings joy to me. I have had to take a break from creating to relocate our home and provide lots of care. Your blog has increased my desire to make time to creat!

Wow, Tracy! What a year you've been through...had no idea since I haven't read your posts because I work full-time and have the time right now since I'm on vacation. You have amazing strength and I am impressed with your tenacity and courage to move through the challenge of conquering the cancer. Thank you for your stories and gifts. ART is what keeps us sane! ;-)

Ah Tracy, what a journey you've been on. You are an inspiration to us all. So glad you are well. I am grateful for my entire life: living in the country, animal friends, my hubby, a new grandson, art, just everything. I feel so blessed. I reposted your blog on FB. Thank you for your generous heart.

I had to read your blog post out loud to my husband and daughter. Wow! Tracy, I have always admired your arr, participating in your online class, your ability to communicate teachings through a computer always with the underlining of love and compassion. Your touch people on a personal level deeply through your words in this post. I lost a sister to breast cancer. My BFF is an amazing cancer warrior woman who is now speaking for the American Cancer Society on BC sharing her story. It's women like you that can change the way women go through that journey. How you kept a work schedule throughout it all amazes me (I've taught on a national level and know the work it takes). Thank you for sharing your story. You do it with such grace. Love and blessings sent your way for continued healthy recovery. Love and light...Susie Seitz King <3

Tracy, I have so much to be grateful for in 2016. It's been a roller coaster ride (huge highs, some challenging lows). The thing I am most grateful for is that I have a loving partner who is the biggest supporter of my artistic endeavours....and his unrelenting support enabled me to take your course on Whidby Island and meet you in person. I will treasure that experience forever.

Oh my your year has been one of real ups and downs. So cool to read this recap and see that you've come to the end of the year in a good way. You've spread so much good vibes with your art and courses! I would love to take Paint Mojo ecourse or any of the Minis.My year was filled with ups and downs a bit like you. Lots of art - to grow my art voice and to make me feel better. Bless you for writing such an uplifting post. <3

Thanks for this beautiful post Tracy. It brough both joy and tears to read of the love and support that you received from so many wonderful women, just when you needed it. Certainly a year of downs and ups, hopefully there will be mostly ups for you from now on. I love your art and although we've never met, I love reading your uplifting posts and would love to get to know you and your art more closely. My year has also been one of ups and downs but I am blessed to have a wonderful family and also a group of lovely creative friends who give each other support each and every week.Love and bountiful blessings for 2017 to you and your family.

This year has been an amazing adventure as I have learnt what it means to trust myself and open up to all the possibilities that surround me. I am so grateful that I am in the moment so much more. I wish you blessings and a year that flows with ease and grace in 2017.

You have said it all....and so eloquently. Tracey, you faced a trying year with courage and optimism, and it worked! I believe that enthusiasm for the future is a healing thing. Each day I am grateful for just that one day. May 2017 be happy, and healthy, and filled with colourful adventures for us all.

It has been an exciting year for me. My husband retired, we sold our house in New Jersey and are in the process of buying our new home in Tennessee. Life is good❣️Thanks for the opportunity to win! Peace, Ronda Happy New Year

You are one of the most creative, talented, and beautiful artists today. Your stamina is amazing and I know you will take care of yourself so you can carry on all the wonderful art and wisdom you teach and share with us every day. Thank you.

How timely this coming up to read. I was literally just reflecting about 2016, and thinking to myself, look for the silver linings Vicky. This year has been HUGE. I'm not the same person that I was when I started this year. I've made monumental life styles changes, remove toxic things, people, situations from my life. Learnt that I can't pour from an empty cup, and if I don't practise self care, there will be no self to care for.

I'm most grateful for being able to bear witness and be on the receiving end of the most amazing acts of love and kindness. From family, friends, and complete strangers. It's true that saying "What you put out into the world will always come back for you." The last few months I have been on the receiving end of karma. Good karma.

I would dearly love to do your paint mojo ecourse. Anything that fans and develops my creativity is always welcome.

I can't believe you have met Elizabeth Gilbert, and are her friend! That is very very cool.

I'm glad that you are on pause, and practising self care. I have to remind myself constantly that it's what I need to be doing right now.Lots of love, light and healing to you Xxx

I am thankful Lori Franklin introduced me to you. I am grateful for the opportunity I have had personally in 2016 to delve more fully into incorporating my passion for art into "furniture re-imagined."

I am so very thankful that there are so many beautiful, loving and talented women in this glorious world of ours! Thank you for sharing your love and art with us. I find it truly inspiring and look forward to seeing where you PAUSE leads you. I would send you love, laughter, joy and continued healing for 2017.

For me, gratitude is a ripple. One thing always seems to lead to another. I think what I am most grateful for is the authenticity of relationships. Gee, that sounds so...intellectual. What I mean is that I really feel connected to the people in my life and they to me. (at least I hope they do!) Each year that passes, each challenge faced together, or joy shared ripples between us. I love that.

i have never had the opportunity to 'meet' you but feel so close to you... i watch you from afar and am so looking forward to the mojo course in January......life throws us a curve every once in a while but that boomerang is always there to bring us back what we have given.. i hope you know in your heart of hearts just how much love has gone back to you and protected you...much love to you ... thank you for sharing all that you do.. bless you

I'm amazed by how the links, obscure and unknown, lead to new doors to open. I'm grateful that I was able to retire this year. I am not an artist, but imagine putting color, whimsy and ... something... on paper to free me up and see what wants and needs to be expressed.

I am so grateful that you are doing well. What a journey! I am grateful for my family and friends this year as they supported me through a very rough surgery to remove a 20 pound tumor from my abdomen and then the very long recovery. I am so looking forward to taking more time in 2017 to breathe, love on myself and others, and make art! Happy New Year to you and your family. <3

Yes, 2016 has been a big one! Your style and grace are truly inspirational. I think for me, more than anything I am grateful for my support network. I know there is still a long road ahead but to know they are there is priceless. I am also grateful for my art as it is providing therapy in so many ways. Sending you lots of love for a calm and beautiful 2017. xxx

Tracy, you've been pure inspiration for me, thank you for the gift of you.My 4 children are all grown up, ages 23, 28, 30, 34. My brother whI'm is 20 MO ths younger than me. Hum and his wife are parents to twins, my awesome 2 1/2 year old nephews!!!! Seeing life through their intense curiosity and awe for life, it nourishes me!! Being an Auntie feels amazing! 2016, these 2 lads, Caleb & Finn are inspiration, pure love, what I'm so grateful for. Peace, light, and love to all for 2017 ♡♡♡♡.

This has been an incredibly difficult year - lost my Dad on January 1st and had to take over caring for my Mom. Lost my beloved Great Dane a few months later. Financial, relationships, health, life...felt like all I did was try to recover from one crisis before the next one hit. In all of this I've tried my hardest to keep my artistic soul nourished. Seeing your artwork and reading your posts have always been an uplifting experience. Thanks for being a shining beacon in a dark year. I would love to find my voice again with your Mojo workshop. Here's hoping for a fantastic 2017 for all x0x0x

Wow! 2016 has been a busy year for you, with ups and downs. I wish you all the best for 2017, and especially health, before anything else. Take some time to take care of yourself and spend good time with your jamily and relatives.and listen to the messages given by your body wth this illness. A big hug for you XXX

I am grateful for all the gifts found in the challenges of 2016 - becoming more of myself in the process of life. I am grateful most of all for my relationships, husband, children, family and friends; and I am grateful for art!

Dear Tracy, I am grateful to you for inspiring me to create. Art has become a passion that continually feeds my soul, and I am never alone. I am grateful to my family and friends, and most of all for my health. I hope 2017 brings you continued health and joy. xoxo.

Hello Tracy, I'm moved by how much you share of yourself with all of us. I wish peace and health for you in this new year! I'm grateful for freedom. I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to pursue ART full time this entire past year! I'm grateful for every day in which I can still do that. I'm really enjoying your Luscious Landscapes mini mojo. I feel like sometimes the processes are not speaking to me, and at other times they do. And that's okay - this is where so much learning is for me. I'm realizing our best art truly comes out of our feelings while we're making it - our complete engagement in the process, where the process takes over and we are along for the ride. These are my favorite experiences. I'm learning a lot from your workshop about substrates and color, which I really needed, and which have opened new ideas and techniques for me. But I think my favorite part of the experience of watching your demos is that you so often mention how you're *feeling* about what's happening with the piece, with your mood and with your body as the process progresses. I love it! Big hugs, Karen.

Congrats on so many things this year :)I always enjoy all of your updates, but the year-end recap is always such fun! Happy New Year to you and yours, as you get to revel in all of your blessings.I do love your book, it is one of my very favorites on my art shelf!I haven't been able to get to classes this past year and a half or so, so I so appreciate the you that is in it.

Thank you for sharing your wonderful art. Always inspiring. <3I am grateful for my family, for health and for finding back to the *real* me, which includes finding my creative soul and letting it fly.I am thankful for this opportunity you give. Aino.shperber@gmail.com

I am grateful for so many things in 2016: my dear husband (tomorrow is our 6th anniversary!), my precious grandbabies, time to create art - I could go on and on... but what I'm most grateful for each day is that I'm alive and living each day. (It was touch & go 3 years ago) Every day I wake up is a good day, and I'm thankful for every little thing. Life is good!Thank you so much for sharing your art with the world. I really love it and your positive attitude. You have inspired me with your art, bravery and positivity. I shared your link on Facebook in hopes an additional chance might help me win a spot in one of your classes. Ty for the opportunity!My email is jackiesfun@gmail.com.

Tracy you are an amazing person! I do not think that any other would have continue with all these! But you did and it worthed it! Please take a break and immerse yourself in your colors and shapes and forms! The world will be brighter with some more of your paintings and you will take the time you need to heal and rest! lots and lots of love to you my teacher!

Ahhhh, 2016...For me it was a year of putting many things on hold, maybe even my entire life. I had some hard times personally at the end of 2015, then the first half of 2016 kicked me in the gut professionally, again and again. Big projects crumbled, people turned out to be very different from what I thought, and by the time summer came I felt sad, empty, alone, and although I never stopped appreciating the blessings in my life, especially my kids, all I wanted to do was stay at home alone, and paint.And yet, as I wrote to you in a comment on Facebook, art has been a source of struggle too. To learn to let go in art, as well as in life, of what I have inside, of what I feel, of who I am, and to love the result, would be a dream come true, and a true liberation. I've been raised to believe that nothing is ever good enough, and I really need it to be. I need to learn to let my intuition do what it wants to, and have fun in the process, instead of staring at a blank page in terror. I need me to be good enough for me, and I need what's inside of me to be good enough for me. Does that make sense?And from that standpoint, I envy you. You have been facing a huge challenge this year, and yet in every picture on Instagram you smiled, you shone. I believe that comes from being at peace with who you are and loving who you are. And art gives you that, if you let it in.I hope to learn to let it this year.

I am grateful that in 2016 I started to acknowledge that I matter - my health, happiness, and will matters. I've been speaking up about what doesn't work for me anymore, and despite resistance from others, I'm moving forward towards joy and self-acceptance.

What an incredible year! You certainly deserve to take some time for yourself :)I'm grateful that I've been able to make a life that includes time for art, amongst all the busy-ness of work and family.Karen

So pleased for you and your family Tracy been a hard year for mine and my boys was ill over Christmas he has chronic kidney disease and hyper tension so can be full of anxiety sometimes his on the mend now but wasn't nice for either of my boys so hoping 2017 will be wonderful for everyone much love light peace happiness and laughter Emma xxxxx

I am grateful for my October visit with my mom. It was the first time in a year I was going home not as a caregiver. My mom has had the hardest year of her life with illness and in and out of the hospital. October I went home and we spent the whole week together doing everything she could. Drove up into the mountains where she was born and explored every part of that mountain. A joyful and beautiful week. So grateful for that time with my mom. Thank you Tracy for your inspirational post. Stay hopeful in the New Year. Belinda @maddbeesstudio.

What an inspiration you are to me, Tracy! Thank you for sharing the ups And the downs. May 2017 bring you happiness and health. I'm grateful for the people in my life who support me every day, in small ways; the generous hearts who love me. Also for my kitties, I just live the sweeties so much

Tracy, Thank you for sharing your journey with us!Glad you are listening to PAUSE!!

I am grateful for new friends Lian & Doug & Doug's mom Ethel Jean. I am also grateful for getting my car back that had been hit while parked. It is totally inspected with rear quarter panel pounded out & looks great! I am also grateful for all the special angels that have come into my life to help me heal various aspect of my being! Blessings all around!LynaLou

I am grateful for my family and friends and all the blessings God gave us. I am grateful for for the internet and how it allows us to connect and share and learn from each other. I am grateful that you are doing well and that you will be able to continue to make beautiful art.

This has been a year of mixed emotions we travelled home from a wonderful overseas holiday to th joy of new grandchild quickly followed by my sons wedding and stepdaughters 21st . All good then wham my brother called and said he was getting married and also his future wife had stomach cancer just diagnoses that was bad enough but our next lovely grandson was born to great joy only to find out he has cystic fibrosis. Art has been my salvation it takes me to another place and the latest luscious landscapes came at a great time to distract me from our sad news.

This year I'm grateful for the opportunity to work in a studio with children age 3-5 years almost every day at a primary-school. I learn so much from the children about painting, being fearless and just go with the flow. THEY HAVE THERE MUSE OF INSPIRATION AT HAND EVERY DAY AND WHEN I WATCH THEM CREATE I JUST FEEL BLESSED TO BE A PART IN A FANTASTIC CREATIVE PROCESS.

What a wonderful & amazing journey you have had this year and what an inspiration you are to us all I am so grateful for getting through 2016 with out too many problems knowing that there are so many people worse off than me

I am so glad you decided to take some time for yourself and glad you are doing well. I am grateful for my first grandchild who was born this year and that my Mom, his great-grandmother was able to meet him as they live so far away.

Oh my what an awesome giveaway!! And what a great time you had! I saw lots of the pics at Facebook already but it's so wonderful to see all your adventures in one place. :)

What I'm grateful for: - recovering from a muscle disease flare up after 8 months. No more seizures. NONE!- My boyfriend, who has been my rock in the hardest times- My pets. - My alternative medicine which healed me for the most part.- My ability to paint again. <3

Ack I didn't leave an email. Have opened up a google account just in case though. Have your book and would love to win a spot for next year. Grateful for technology and the way we can all share together. Happy 2017 !!

�� I am in awe at the volume of magical art you create! I love that you share your creativity so freely. As an artist finding her new path in a new place in a new year it is inspirational to me...I would be very excited to do your course!! ��

My dear awesome, wonderful, talented, creative friends! It's that time of the year again, a time for recaps and reflections.......

When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy. ~Rumi

Followers

sweet words from students :)

Dear Tracy,

I have had such an amazing response to your workshop. It has gone far beyond the painting of a picture. You have an incredible , supportive and intuitive energy that is contagious. Teaching others about freeing yourself up, from the ever present ‘critical mind’, is life changing. I am so inspired by your wonderful workshop. I have been applying simple messages from the day into my everyday life, and the roller coaster of life is so much richer and exciting with the knowledge of letting go and trusting in the process. This wonderful painting (that I have hung above my computer) reminds me every day that life always has a way of working out for the better if we just let go.....

Your way of teaching is subtle, yet powerful, and you guide others to discover for themselves important insights. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to be a part of this very special day

~Vanessa

Thanks again Tracy for such a wonderful, colourful, transformative, powerful, peaceful weekend.....I really see how much I get caught in detail and perfection and beautifying and how this has it's value but as you pointed out to me, if I'm feeling like I'm tensing and tightening up with this then move the energy, shift and also be bold to make big changes if things aren't working! That's a big one. But this is life, nothing ever stays completely the same does it!SO yes thanks SO very much for your colourful, loving, gentle yet powerful and generous sharing on the weekend. Looking forward to journeying more with you creatively and in friendship.~Katie